ASEAN NCAP safety test ratings for Fiesta, Swift, Vento, Sunny, Corolla Altis, CR-V and Pajero Sport released

Snapshot – NCAP safety ratings for cars sold in the ASEAN (Association of South Eastern Asian Nations) region have just been released and many cars that are sold in India feature in the latest set of safety ratings. These cars are quite relevant from an Indian context given the fact that the cars tested and awarded the ASEAN safety ratings feature safety equipment levels that are similar to what is offered on India-spec versions.

All cars featuring in this report feature at least one airbag and safety seat belts as standard kit. However, ABS+EBD isn’t a vital factor for crash safety as it is an active safety device designed to prevent a crash than a passive safety device that will deploy in the event of a crash. A deviation from this norm is the presence of the electronic stability program (ESP), an active feature that prevents crashes.

Ford Fiesta Automatic – 5 Star 

The new Fiesta sedan is a poor seller in India primarily because Ford priced the car too optimistically at the time of the car’s launch here. Back then, Ford claimed that the Fiesta’s high price was a reflection of the more expensive components used to build the car more sturdily. This claim comes through rather spectacularly as the ASEAN NCAP agency has rated the Fiesta Automatic at 5 Stars for crash safety. The Fiesta Automatic is equipped with seatbelts, twin airbags and ESP. Notably, the Fiesta Automatic variant was being sold in India until Ford culled the model to make way for the EcoSport Automatic variant.

Nissan Micra – 4 Star 

The Nissan Micra with seat belts and a driver side airbag qualifies for a four star rating in the ASEAN NCAP crash test. A similar version of the car is sold in India, in both petrol and diesel guises. The Micra is another poor seller, underscoring the point that Indian buyers prefer creature comforts to essential safety features, and the Indian car industry isn’t doing much to make the average car buyer here shed this buying pattern.

Suzuki Swift – 4 Star

The Swift hatchback equipped with seatbelts and twin airbags manages to bag four stars in the NCAP crash safety test. The Swift’s top end ZXi petrol and ZDi diesel variants sold in India feature twin airbags and ABS+EBD in India. Therefore, the made-in-India Swift could score a similar crash test rating. Notably, the car tested for the NCAP crash safety rating was built in Thailand.

Nissan Sunny – 4 Star

The Nissan Sunny C-Segment sedan, known as the Almera in South East Asian markets, has romped home with a 4 star crash safety rating from the ASEAN NCAP test. The Sunny tested featured seatbelts and twin airbags. This level of safety equipment is similar to what is on offer in the India-spec Sunny, which gets ABS+EBD and twin airbags on top end variants of the car.

Volkswagen Vento – 4 Star

Volkswagen sells the Vento sedan under the Polo sedan nameplate in ASEAN markets. The car equipped with seatbelts and twin airbags has bagged a four star ASEAN NCAP rating for crash safety. The Vento is sold in India with petrol and turbo diesel engines. In terms of safety, top end variants of the car get twin airbags, seatbelts and ABS+EBD. The top-end Vento TSI model also gets ESP as an additional safety feature, potentially giving the Vento a chance at bagging a full five star rating.

Toyota Corolla Altis – 4 Star

The 11th generation 2014 Toyota Corolla Altis will be sold in India from the 26th of May, 2014. The car has managed a 4 star ASEAN NCAP crash safety ratings. The car tested featured the 1.8 liter VVT-i petrol engine, twin airbags and seatbelts. In India, Toyota will sell the new Corolla Altis with an additional diesel engine option. A more loaded Corolla Altis with 7 airbags managed to score a perfect five star rating.

Honda CR-V – 5 Star 

The Honda CR-V crossover has scored fivestars in the ASEAN NCAP safety ratings. The crossover that is also sold in India, is available with petrol power (2 and 2.4 liter i-VTEC engines) in South East Asian markets, as is the case in India. The CR-V tested featured ESP, seatbelts and twin airbags, to make for a 5 star rating. In India, Honda sells the CKD assembled CR-V with the 2 liter and 2.4 liter i-VTEC petrol engines. Both manual and automatic variants are on offer here.

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport – 4 Star 

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport luxury SUV is based on the Triton pick up truck’s ladder frame chassis. The SUV has managed to score four stars in the ASEAN NCAP crash safety ratings. The SUV tested features seatbelts and twin airbags as the passive safety features. As is the case with the Indian variant of the Pajero Sport, the SUV sold in South East Asian markets features a 2.5 liter turbo diesel engine available with manual and automatic gearboxes.

Hyundai i10 1.1 – 2 Star

The Hyundai i10 with a 1.1 liter petrol engine scores a measly 2 star in the ASEAN NCAP crash safety ratings, making it a potentially unsafe car when it comes to crashes. The i10 featured only seat belts as the passive safety feature in the safety tests. In India too, Hyundai has re-positioned the i10 as a lower priced hatchback to make way for the Grand i10. In re-positioned guise, the i10 does not offer airbags or ABS+EBD, even as optional safety features.